U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,052 illustrates methods and apparatuses for positioning panels, such as printed circuit panels, on a work surface. A registration mechanism displaces engaging member, such as locating pins, equidistantly and synchronously in opposite directions into engagement with contact areas, such as locating slots or holes in the panel, to fix the panel position relative to the work surface so that a tool can perform its function with respect to the panel.
Often, the tool operating on the panels, such as a frame holding a printing pattern, must move repetitively with great accuracy relative to successive panels mounted on the work face to complete the processing on each panel. Such tools must also operate in registry with the panels. However, the weight of the tool or the complexity of its mounting and movement makes registration of the tool with the panels or the co-ordinates of the panels difficult.